Burglar alarm for cash drawers



March 4, 1947.

F. c. w. STI-:LTER 2,416,963

BURGLAR ALARM FOR CASH DRAWERS Filed March 8, 1945 Patented Mar. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BURGLAR ALARM FOR CASH DRAWERS Francis C. W. Stelter, New York. N. Y.

Application March 8, 1945, Serial No. 581,661

10 Claims.

This invention relates to burglar alarms for cash drawers or tills, and more particularly to electric alarm systems adapted to actuate signal devices when the till is tampered with by unauthorized persons.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel and improveddevice of the class described, which is economical to manufacture and install, simple in construction and operation, and

thus well adapted t the needs` of the average business man.

A more' particular-objectl is the provision ofan alarm system which is adapted to be energizedV upon movement of the weighted guard or retainer which is usually provided to bear uponl the paper money or currency'in theA appropriate compartments of the till.

In its preferredembodiment, Ythe invention contemplates the provision of an alarm circuit including-a source of current, a signal device such as a bell, and a switch device actuated by the pivotal movement of the guard'frame which bearsV against the pile of bills or currency. The'circuit may include switches actuatable. by the guards in all-of the compartments or by only one of'them. In-the latter case, preferably, the guard for the bills of higher denominations should be utilized.

A further feature ofthe-invention involves' the provision of a concealed manual' switching device for breaking the'y circuit when it is not desired that the alarm shall be sounded.

A still further object of the inventionisthe provision of a concealed resetting device for the automatic alarm switch, the switch being of the type which will maintain the circuit closed until restored to its initial position. Thus, if the alarmis set oif by accident the circuit may be immediately broken, and thus restored for normal functioning;

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection-with the accompanying drawingsin which certain embodiments oftheinvention are illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings,vr Fig., 11 is atop plan viewof a cash drawerfembodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryperspective view ofthe rear portion of acash drawer illustrating a further modification ofthe invention.

The cash drawer or till illustrated in the first three iigures of drawing is designated generally by the referencefnumeral IU, and comprises the two spaced side walls II which are mortised to receive the edges of the bottom wall I2, the front wall I3, and the'rear wall I4 of the drawer. A series of partitions I5? extending-fore and aft ofA the drawer Iare provided, and these partitions together with the cross partitions I6 divided the drawer into a series of compartments.

compartments denoted by the letter B adapted to receive billsf or currency.

An overhanging ledge IB is provided adjacent the rear wall I4`of the drawer, and'this ledge extends above the rear portions of the three currency compartments B.

The cash drawer- I0 may be mounted or supported in any convenient way either beneath a counter or within a cash register.Y The drawer illustrated is ofthe latter type and is designed to ride upon anti-friction rollers carried by the frame of the cash register and illustrated somewhat diagrammatlcallyat I9-'in Fig. 3; Angular rails vare'secured along the outer surface of the side walls II ofv theV drawer, whereby the drawer of heavy wire bent into' a generallyl U-shapedl configuration, the forwardly extending bight of the frame carrying the weighted enlargement 26 which may bein the form cfa roller which bears on the pilel of bills in the compartment such as indicated at P in Fig. 2. The rear'portions of the arms of the frame are bent outwardly as at 2l and are-pivotally received within the sockets 28 formedv in the side Wall II and ini the partitions I5. Thus far, the arrangement is of' conventional construction.

The novel alarmV switch which forms an' im portant feature of the present invention is designated generally by' the-reference numeral 29 and comprises the various elements described below. The rear wall I4` of the drawer is provided at least one pointl opposite the currency'compartments B with anopening 30 in which a plunger 3| is adapted to move. The plunger may be made of metal or of insulating material since it forms no conducting part of they circuit, neither In thisv particular example, there' are six compartments .Y designated A and adapted to hold coins, and three Amnesia ener is it likely to ground or short circuit any of the conducting parts of the switching arrangement. The head 32 of the plunger 3|, in this particular embodiment, is provided by the screw 33 threaded into the end of the plunger. The screw clamps a metal washer 35 to the end of the plunger and this provides a laterally extending shoulder which constitutes one of the contacts of the switch. Beneath the flange orshoulgderu35 and secured to: the rear wall ld of the ia'w'erfarethe resilient metal leaves v"or""contactb ad'elsvt.vv These blades may be attached to the wall as by means of the fastening elements 31 shown in Fig. 3, andl the ared portions are bent to stand away *from the wall lll and to be resiliently contacted by the bridging contact portion 35 of the-plunger.

The actuating connection between the guard and the switch arrangement is provided by the rigid cross bar 38 which extends between the arms of the guard and is secured thereto as by means of the end4 sleeves 39. Centrally yof the cross bar 38 ari-actuating vnger 4 is provided which is adapted to bear kagainst the head 32 of the plunger 3 The rear end ofthe plunger 3l extends outwardly of the rear wall I4 and `has aportion of its surface corrugated or serrated as at d2 so as to cooperate with the spring detent arm |53 secured to the rear wall lil. This provides holding means for releasably retaining the plunger in any position to which it is moved. rlvhus, when the guard 25 is raised by the removal of a bill from the pile P, the linger il will move the plunger 3| rearwardly until the bridging contact presses against the resilient co-ntact members 35, thus completing the alarm circuit. Regardless of the return of the guard frame 25 to the top vof the pile P, the switch will be held in closed position by the detent elements 132, 43.. In order to restore the switch, there is provided an angular lever arm l5 extending through an opening in the rear wall and pivoted therein as at 41. The downwardly curved end i8 ofthe resetting lever 35 is arranged to Contact with the rear end ofthe plunger 3| and the forwardly extending end 59 of the lever is concealed beneath the ledge I8 and may bemanually lifted to restore theplunger 3| to its initial inoperative open circuit position, ready to be moved rearwardly by a subsequent displacement of the guard 25.

The electrical circuit is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings. A battery 5@ or other source of current is provided and is connected by means of theV conductor 5| with one of the automatic switch blades 36. The other blade 3S is connected by means of the wire 52 to a terminal 53 of the manually actuatable switch divhich is secured beneath the ledge I8 at ano-ther point within reach of the cashier but concealed from View by the casual observer. The other terminal 55 of the manual switch is connected by means of Jthewire 55` to the alarmbell 51, and the circuit is completed from the bell 51 tothe battery 5@ by means of the wire 58.

Many ways of effecting thealarmcircuit will suggest themselves, and one of these which comprises a part of the present invention is shown in Fig. 4 of theY drawings. In this embodiment the cash drawer as a whole is designated by the reference numeral |09, and is arranged to slide Within the cash register or other container denoted by the numeral lill. The currency guard |25 operates to actuate the automatic switch 12e,

which is connected by means of the wire |52 with the manual switch |55( From the other terminal of the automatic switch |29, a conductor |5| leads to a point on the side rail |20 which runs upon the rollers I9 carried by the metallic frame of the cash register IUE. The conductor secured to the cash register frame as at |6| leads to the battery |55 which is connected by means ci the wire |53 to the alarm bell |51.

The means for providing electrical connections from thel manual switch |55 to the bell |51 comprisesl a.l conductor l'fwhichpas-ss through an insulated openin'gl62 in the 'rear wall of the cash register |B| and the resilient angular conductor |55 which is arranged to be extensible to accommodate the sliding movements of the drawer |00 within Vthe cash register il as will be clearly understood `from inspection of Fig. 4. Alterna- Y tively, the conductor |55 may comprise rigid sections hinged at the joints and operating on the principle of a lazy-tong.

It will be apparent from the present specifica- .stion-thataan unauthorized person removing currency from n'of the compartments B will cause the guard frame 25 to lift and the nger `4|] will close the automatic switch 29, which will remain closed until reset by means of the lever 45. This actuation, assuming that the manual switch 54 is closed, will cause the alarm bell 51 to ring and signal the tampering with the cash drawer. The alarm bell 51 is preferably disposed at a point remote from the cash register, and under these circumstances the burglar will not know that he has sounded the alarm, and may be more readily apprehended. Y

During business hours or any other periods in which the alarm is not needed, the manual switch 54 may be moved to off position.

In Figure 5 of the drawings there is shown a cash drawer 253i) having side walls 2| and a rear wall 213. An alarm switch 229 of the type describedv in the earlier embodiments is provided in the rear wall 2|3. A manual switch 254 is also installed and the alarm bell is indicated at 251 anda source of current at 250.

An angle iron 22E! upon one or both sides of the drawer rides upon the supporting rollers 2|9, and the current is conducted from the contacts within the drawer through the rail 22|), the roller 2|9 and the frame oi the register as in the case of the embodiment shown in Figure 4. Connections are made in the other direction from the switching arrangements Within the drawer with a metal bracket 255 which supports a roller 256 which rides upon a rail or metal strip 256 carried by the register frame but insulated therefrom. A conductor 255' completes the circuit from the rail 256 to the battery 25|).

, It is understood that various changes and modications may be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the following claims.

Having thusv described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard member carried by the till and adapted to b ear against one or more items of currency or the like contained in said till, an electric circuit includin ries a source of current, an electrisignal, and a normally open switch, M ctions between said guard and said sw i`tc w ereby theplatter is closed whenever the guard is movedappreciably upon removal of an item of currency- 2. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a pivoted guard member carried by the till and adapted to bear down upon one or more items of currency or the like contained in said till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal,y and a normally open switch, and mechanical connections between said guard and said switch whereby the latter is closed whenever the guard is raised appreciably about its pivot upon removal of an item' of currency.

3. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of the till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal, and a switch device carried by the till adjacent the rear wall of said compartment, and an actuating projection on said guard frame adapted to close said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame as upon removal of said currency.

4. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of the till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal, and a switch device carried by the till adjacent the rear wall of said compartment, an actuating projection on said guard frame adapted to close said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame as upon removal of said currency and an overhanging ledge at the rearward portion of said compartment concealing said switch and actuator.

5. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of the till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal, and a switch device carried by the till adjacent the rear wall of said compartment, an actuating projection on said guard frame adapted to close said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame as upon removal of said currency, and a concealed manually-actuated alarm-disabling switch in said circuit.

6. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of the till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal, and a switch device carried by the rear wall of said compartment and comprising a substantially stationary contact element, a reciprocating contact element, and releasable resilient detent means for retaining the latter in any position to which it may be moved, an actuating projection on said guard frame adapted to move said reciprocating element of said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame as upon removal of said currency, and manually actuated resetting means for moving the reciprocating switch contact element to open position after a closing actuation.

7. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of thetill, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an. electrically actuated signal; and azswitchadevice carried by the rear wall of said compartment and comprising asubstantially stationary Contact element, a reciprocating contactV element, and releasable resilient detent means for retaining the latter. in any position to which it may be. moved, an actuating. projection on said guardV frame adapted to close said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame asupon removal of said currency, and manually actuated means for-resetting the movable switch. control element to openv position. after a closing actuation, and` means concealing said switch and" restoring. means from casual inspection.

8. A protective system for cash drawers, tills, or the like, which comprises, in combination, a guard frame pivoted adjacent its rear end to said till and bearing at its forward end upon currency in a compartment of the till, an electric circuit including in series a source of current, an electrically actuated signal, and a switch device carried by the rear wall of said compartment and comprising a pair of resilient blade contact elements disposed side by side with a gap therebetween, a plunger mounted for reciprocation in the space between said elements, a bridging conductor element carried by said plunger and adapted when said plunger is pressed to bear resiliently against said blade contacts and complete the circuit between them thus closing the switch, detent means for resiliently retaining the plunger in switch opening and closing positions, an actuating projection on said guard frame adapted to move said plunger to close said switch device upon pivotal movement of said guard frame as upon removal of said currency, and manually actuated resetting means for moving the plunger to switch ope-ning position after a closing actuation.

` 9. A burglar alarm for cash registers, in combination, a metal register frame, a cash drawer slidable into and out of said frame, said drawer being made of a non-conducting material, a metal rail secured to at least one side of said drawer and metal supporting rollers rotatably carried by said frame and adapted to support and guide said rail, an electric circuit including a source of current, an electrically actuated alarm signal, a switch carried by said drawer and adapted to be closed by disturbance thereof due to unauthorized handling of the contents of the cash drawer, the alarm signal being disposed at a point outside of the register, the current being completed between said switch and said alarm signal and source of current in one direction by a conductor electrically secured to one of said rails, the said rail, the frame of the register, and a conductor electrically secured to said frame, and in the other direction through an extensible conductor leading from said drawer rearwardly thereof through an insulated opening in the rear wall of said register, said last named conductor adapted to eX- tend and retract upon outward and inward movement of said drawer respectively.

l0. A burglar alarm for cash registers, in combination, a metal register frame, a cash drawer slidable into and out of said frame, said drawer being made of a non-conducting material, a metal rail secured to at least one side of said drawer and metal supporting rollers rotatably carried by said frame and adapted to support and guide said rail, a metal supporting rail on said register frame beneath said drawer and insulated from said frame, a metal roller on said drawer adapted to run on said last named rail, an electric circuit including a source of current, an electrically actuated alarm signal, a switch carried by said drawer and adapted to be closed by disturbance thereof due to unauthorized handling of the contents of the cash drawer, the alarm signal being disposed at a point outside of the register, the current being completed between said switch and said alarm signal and source of current in one direction by a conductor electrically secured to one of said rails, the said rail, the frame of the register, and a. `conductor electrically secured to said frame, and in the other direction through a conductor leading to said drawer supported roller, and said register supported rail.

FRANCIS C. W. STELTER.

8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 

